"All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim." - Christopher Morley, Where the Blue Begins.

School years – Your first gateway to descriptive writing

Do you remember having to write an essay describing something in particular back then at school? Well, yes, back then it probably was a mere cakewalk. We were in the process of learning and hence, to describe a thing came as a simple flick. Whereas, today, we are so preoccupied with our demanding lives that creatively describing something eventually leaves us short of words to express what we actually feel. Possessing a vast vocabulary enhances one's communication skills and brings a perspective in one's stream of imaginative thought.

As for me, my city manages to reserve an extremely niche position in my heart.

Catch the pulse of your city

It's not often that one manages to sketch out the hustle and bustle of the city; describing the texture, the color, and the appearance of a city sidewalk does get pretty tricky, even if you know how to speak in English fluently. Being able to tell one what you see in your city is good, but showing them the sight through your description stands an entire class apart! It's similar to knowing English as a language but not completely being able to master the language as a whole. Here's where the question of 'How to improve one's communication skills' comes in. Learning English might seem difficult and demanding but the language does enhance one's communication skill to the optimum.

The art of description

Describing something is an art. An art of developing an imprint by stirring through all the human senses namely: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It is only through your description and choice of words and adjectives that one gets a clear picture of what you are describing. It is through the intricate details and the engraved memories that one can do justice to the assigned narrative.

For example:

 

"It was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable serpents of smoke trailed themselves for ever and ever, and never got uncoiled. It had a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, arid vast piles of building full of windows where there was a rattling and a trembling all day long, and where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness." - Charles Dickens, Hard Times

Get detailed

Describing your city could be exciting but try not to get too carried away. Being enthusiastic and upbeat to draw out a description of what you see the city as through your eyes must have its own set of boundaries between fiction and reality itself. Get appropriate information about the things you're unsure about to ensure no faulty information is being passed on. Every bit of what you speak holds value so speak wisely and factually.

"Nothing can beat the smell of dew and flowers and the odor that comes out of the earth when the sun goes down." - Ethel Waters

Language Bounds

Possessing adequate knowledge of the language does play a vital role especially when you're required to give a detailed description about a specific thing. Having a fluent command over English as a language will definitely slash the chances of you making an unforgivable blunder. Always ensure that your sentences are crisp and imaginative. Learning English and grasping the well-assorted basics will give you a nudge in the right direction.

 

About eAgeTutor:

eAgeTutor.com is the premier online English learning institute. eAge's world class faculty and ace communication experts, from around the globe, help you to improve in an all-round manner. Assignments and tasks based on a well researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. In this age of effective and advance communication technology, online spoken English programs are the most effective and convenient way to learn English.

For further information on our online English speaking courses or to experience the wonders of the virtual classroom, fix a demonstration session with our tutor.

- By Monika Agarwal

Related Topics:

1. How to Best Describe a Place?

2. How to improve communication skills?

3. How to structure English sentences?

4. How to Overcome the Anxiety of Making Mistakes when Speaking English?

5. How to speak clearly and fluently?

Most people love travelling. The thrill of visiting new places, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, probably learning a new language and viewing exciting and new vistas...everything makes travelling to a new places exciting and fun.

So, how do you travel to the wonderful places overseas? Of course, by the airplane, you would say! While airplanes have made traveling simpler and life easier, the whole process can be quite intimidating, or overwhelming, for a person who is not fluent in English. No matter what country you are travelling to, English is by far the most common language spoken all over the world. Even in countries where English is not the first language, airport authorities usually speak in English to get things moving.

In such case, if you are not a confident English speaker, how will you talk your way into the check-in and other subsequent procedures? In this part of the series, 'situational conversations', we bring to you a gist of the standard conversation that can take place at the check-in counter of an airport. Thankfully, any conversation at the check-in (anywhere around the world) follows a standard pattern. Following is a rough idea of how the conversation progresses. While we are not saying that this is exactly what a conversation at the airport check-in will be like, however, you will get some idea that will help you in being prepared beforehand.

The conversation will be between the check-in clerk and the passenger. Just for the sake of brevity, we will call the check in clerk, just 'clerk' throughout the conversation.

Clerk: Good evening, sir.

Passenger: Good evening. Is this where I can check in for the flight to Phuket?

Clerk: Yes, absolutely. I am afraid that your flight has been delayed by one hour and ten minutes. It will leave at quarter past twelve.

Passenger: What! That is terrible.

Clerk: I am sorry, sir. The delay is due to bad weather. We can hardly do anything about it.

Passenger: Right.

Clerk: Can I please have your ticket and passport?

Passenger: Yes, sure. Here it is.

Clerk: Thank you.

Passenger: Can I take this handbag with me as hand luggage?

Clerk: Yes, sure. Provided it is small enough to fit under the seat or the Hand luggage compartment. Do you have any other luggage?

Passenger: Yes, I have two more bags, which I think will have to go in cargo.

Clerk: Did you get your luggage weighed? If it exceeds 30 kilograms, you will have to pay surcharges.

Passenger: No. Rather my luggage is within the 30 kilogram limit.

Clerk: That is good. Do you have a visa to enter Phuket?

Passenger: Yes, here it is.

Clerk: That is good to go. Please board from gate three. The boarding will start at 11:30. Have a nice flight, sir.

Passenger: Thank you.

That wasn't too difficult, was it? The first and foremost rung in the ladder of learning English is to be confident and open to learning. The English language is fun to learn and engaging, given that you approach it with the right attitude! If learning English is on your agenda, you should visit eAgeTutor and learn about the ways in which you can learn the wonderful English language.

When learning a new language, especially English, the most common problem people face is to memorize the never-ending words and phrases. After all, the English language has about 1,013,913 words, with new words being coined every now and then!

Now memorizing each and every word is a mean task, and not even the greatest scholars can know all about it. Adding to this mix is the fact that many individual word has multiple meanings. For example, the word 'set' has 424 meanings! That is a staggering number for a three-alphabet word.

Do not let these facts scare you. English is a helpful language, with so many people in so many countries speaking it. It is the language in which all official documentations are done, and it is the language of electronic communication as well.

In this day and age, you just cannot function without at least the basic knowledge of English. Learning spoken English is an active and gradual process, which one needs to keep practicing and improving.

There are many tips and tricks that one can employ to learn and improve English, however it is remembering that is the main issue. Many people struggle over using the right word at an appropriate time, which causes hindrance in their ability to speak fluent English. Following are a few simple memorizing techniques that are helpful for people new to English.

• Associate words with figures: There are many English words that people use in their day-to-day lives; however, apart from the 'common' ones, there is a horde of other words that one needs to know in order to communicate in the language. Remembering words after words can be a demanding task, and it is possible that you will not be able to remember every word that you learn. The trick here is to associate words with the objects that they represent. Like, when you are learning the word 'tiara', make a mental picture that it represents a crown worn by queens and princesses. This way, the next time you come across this word, you will know exactly what it means.

• Relate adjectives to activities: The next time you go to a park and get busy enjoying the beauty of the flora and fauna, make sure to use fitting adjectives. So, when you want to say, "What a colorful flower!" Instead, say, "What a brightly colored flower this is!" This is the best exercise for learning and getting into a habit of using adjectives. Associate adjectives with things and verbs, and try to think of a new one every day. If one day you use beautiful, then use pretty the other day. Adjectives lend emotions and vibrancy to any word or sentence, hence, learn as many as you can.

• Speak with emotions: Lending emotions to the words you are saying/ listening to helps in remembering them for a long time. For example, when you are asking a question, as it in an interrogative tone, or when you speak about something that surprises you, say it likewise. Using the words in the same tone that they imply helps in remembering the context in which they are used.

English learning, when done the right way, can be interesting and easy. The most sure-shot way of grasping the intricacies of this language is to enroll with an online English speaking course. With a professional and expert online English speaking course, English learning becomes engaging and simple!